Efficient one-shot process
To manufacture the load-through, a blank of the semi-finished product is heated, placed in the injection mold, shaped and back-injected with a glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic. In addition to ribbing that lends the part high stiffness, numerous functional elements are integrally molded on the component in the injection molding step, such as mounts for the headrest, various mounting points and screw connections, and the surrounding groove to which the rear, textile covering of the load-through is mounted. With a conventional steel design, this functional component would have had to be welded or screwed on separately.Extensive HiAnt service for mold engineering
The mold for the load-through was optimized with the help of a draping simulation developed by LANXESS as part of its HiAnt services. Under this brand name, the company has combined its extensive range of services for supporting customers through the entire component engineering process. Various shaping strategies were visualized and evaluated in the draping simulation. The results were incorporated in mold design from the outset and helped to reduce the development time significantly. LANXESS derived the design of the semi-finished product blank on the basis of the specific mold technology. The blank is pre-shaped or locally held in place inside the mold before the mold is fully closed. “This prevents the formation of folds and the over-extension of the continuous fibers during shaping of the semi-finished product,” says Dittmar.LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.7 billion in 2016 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 75 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through ARLANXEO, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, LANXESS is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World) and FTSE4Good.
Source: LANXESS
